Own or drive this car?

C200 Sport 4dr

James Thompson
Date:
23/04/2015

Overall verdict

5
out of 5 stars

What's it like to drive

4
out of 5 stars

Running costs

4
out of 5 stars

Quality, practicality and equipment

5
out of 5 stars

My car

C200 Sport Premium (petrol). Traded in an Audi A6 for this, and am very happy. Wouldn't say the quality is any higher than the Audi, but the equipment list is certainly greater. I went for the Premium package - this includes 7-speed auto gearbox, panoramic sun roof, memory seats with lumbar adjustment, keyless go, ambient lighting and electric boot opening \ closing. The auto gearbox is very smooth, a lot of the gear changes are imperceptible and makes for very relaxed driving around town (where most of my driving is). Love the paddle shifts that allow you to take manual control of the gearbox at any time - great for quick overtaking! The engine is quiet and refined most of the time, but a little noisy under hard acceleration - a sweet unit actually. The seats are very comfortable, the cabin a nice place to be. The car is a sight to behold at night - even the external door handle recesses light up when you unlock the car! Handling wise, no complaints - I occasionally drive it energetically, but unlikely to ever take it close to the car's limits, and handling inspires confidence. If you like your music I'd recommend you pay the extra to get the Burmeister unit - the standard (Audio 20) unit on my car lacks punch for sure, and I was a little disappointed with it. Mine came with the Garmin Map pilot (SD) Sat Nav - display looks a little cartoony to begin with and at odds with the rest of the infotainment system, but having used it several times is actually very good.

C200 SE 4dr

Stewart William Taylor
,
Suffolk
.
Date:
25/02/2015

Overall verdict

2
out of 5 stars

What's it like to drive

2
out of 5 stars

Running costs

3
out of 5 stars

Quality, practicality and equipment

2
out of 5 stars

Average MPG

44

My car

C200 petrol manual sport. I took delivery July 2014. When ordered in April 2014 no demonstrators had arrived, my mistake! I am disappointed with the car to the extent I will go back to Audi. Good points, it looks great, has a comfortable driving position and came well equipped. The LED lights are no more than ordinary but I opted for 'intelligent lights' these are awesome and well worth the cost if you drive at night regularly. Other options were metallic, proper leather seats & lumbar support. The leather was poor quality and goodness knows the age & health of the animal it came from. Dislikes - the ride even on decent B & C roads is diabolical, pitching & rolling even on a stiffer setting. Avoid side winds at all costs. The engine is noisy & coarse, the dipstick impossible to use. Wipers are not up to the job. The idea of using the foot break as a handbrake is hopeless, the 'hold' signal is hidden behind the wheel & my line of sight. The parking break is unlit and down by knee!! The design & quality of the interior is poor in comparison to Audi. Your elbow hits the cheap plastic door pole when reaching for the seatbelt. Accessing the simplest of commands is a journey in itself! The ceramic touch pad obstructs the more practical rotary dial. Owners instructions mostly available via screen in car. Takes up to 15 seconds to change page in a sweltering car in driveway, Mercedes charged me £17 for full book!!!! Not an enjoyable car to own. Get out with key in - knee hits it!

C250 Bluetec Sport 4dr

Jon Whitworth
Date:
01/01/2015

Overall verdict

4
out of 5 stars

What's it like to drive

4
out of 5 stars

Running costs

3
out of 5 stars

Quality, practicality and equipment

5
out of 5 stars

Average MPG

52

My car

Had this car for a month (3,000 miles) now and it has performed well over a mix of motorway, town, country roads and even farm tracks. It represents a big step forward from the previous W204 model for both the design and handling.

The engine remains the same grumbling unit as in the previous model but the weight savings have helped bring the 0-60 time down to 6.6 seconds (not 7.5 as reported here). The car also feels more agile and has better fuel efficiency to boot.

The reversing camera is clear and helps when negotiating tighter spaces than you'd normally attempt so it isn't just a gimmick to help differentiate from the crowd. As mentioned in a previous review the graphics on the sat nav are a little cartoon like but it's clear and easy to use. There is an option to have the information displayed between the dials which allows both media / radio and the nav elements to be displayed and means audio prompts aren't required.

Overall it's a better machine than the A6 I stepped out of and a vast improvement over the previous model C Class but it could do with a touch more refinement in the engine damping and the wind noise at motorway speeds.

Good car though and can't see too many grumbles ahead for me in my three years of ownership.

C200 SE 4dr

Gerald Hayden
,
Wiltshire
.
Date:
22/11/2014

Overall verdict

5
out of 5 stars

What's it like to drive

5
out of 5 stars

Running costs

4
out of 5 stars

Quality, practicality and equipment

4
out of 5 stars

Average MPG

51

My car

Had my C220 Sport Premium plus for 1 month now from new, and for me it is the best car I have ever owned. I should qualify that by stating the majority of my previous vehicles were fords, the only previous car that came close was an Audi A4. I had planned to buy another nearly new A4 , Mercedes weren’t even on my radar, I always considered them to be for old men in grey suits. But I happened to pass by our local dealership looking at the old C-Class’s on the forecourt then noticed the new style C-Class. What a complete transformation, I booked a test drive and 4 months later I have my own brand new c-class, breaking two rules I had previously held of never buying brand new or buying Mercedes.
The whole persona of this car just smacks of quality, comfort and attention to detail throughout. Outside it looks very smart and classy, the myriad of LED lights inside and out are something to behold at night. There is so much equipment included and the on-board tech is in a completely different league to anything I have seen previously. The drive is comfortable it feels solidly attached to the road surface, there is hardly any road or wind noise from outside the agility select adds to the fun. The 2.1 litre diesel engine can sound a bit noisy at times and the layout of the central console controls could be better but these niggles do not spoil the overall experience. Getting this car has made the daily commute to work one of the highlights of my day, and I have never said that before